Feedback by Alper Tuna Kavlak

By: Alper Tuna Kavlak

I participated in the 3rd EVOLTREE/FORGENIUS Conference “Integrative Diversity of Forest Ecosystems,” held in Madrid, Spain, where I presented my work on drought resilience in Finnish Pinus sylvestris breeding populations. This was my first time attending an EVOLTREE event, and the conference provided an excellent opportunity to share ongoing research from the Finnish tree breeding programme at Luke and to engage with an international community working on forest genetics, genomics, and adaptation.
My flash poster presentation focused on screening genetic variation in drought resilience indices—resistance, recovery, resilience, and relative resilience—as well as average growth reduction and recovery rate—in two Scots pine breeding trials (Tuusula and Hankasalmi). The study combines tree-ring basal area increment, drought year identification via June SPEI, and genomic BLUP models to quantify genetic parameters for resilience-related traits. The results show a clear resistance–recovery trade-off and evidence of moderate heritability in one site, highlighting that resilience is a selectable trait but also strongly influenced by site-specific conditions.
The conference was very well organized, and participating in the flash talk session was particularly valuable. It allowed me to present my results to a broad audience and receive constructive feedback on both methodology and interpretation. Discussions with researchers working on drought adaptation, genomic prediction, and climate-related stress responses were especially beneficial and helped me see how resilience modelling fits into larger European research efforts. I also gained insights into ongoing work in FORGENIUS, which connects directly with future directions of our own projects at Luke.
Overall, attending this conference strengthened my professional network, improved my understanding of European initiatives on forest resilience, and helped me position my research within the broader context of climate-adapted tree breeding. The EVOLTREE reimbursement made it possible for me to participate, and I am grateful for the opportunity.
I agree that this report and the attached photos may be published on the EVOLTREE website.